"2006: Sen Specter "said he would sponsor legislation to eliminate the antitrust exemption that allows the National Football League to negotiate broadcast rights for all of its 32 teams."
"1987: "Introduced legislation calling on the Justice Department to study the implications of new technology—specifically cable television and ''pay-per-view'' services—with regard to antitrust laws and the N.F.L.'s television practices."
So if the NFL is indeed 32 different businesses, why don't they let each team negotiate its own TV contract? And for that matter, its own merchandising? And what happens when this whole thing negotiates "pay-per-view" services? The individual teams won't have the ability to broadcast locally on their own?
"1999: "Introduced a bill that would require teams to set aside 10 percent of television revenue and use the money to pay up to 50 percent of stadium construction costs."
"1996: Publicly supported a bill "that calls for any professional sports franchise that relocates and breaks a stadium lease to retire outstanding municipal bonds and repay other public assistance that benefited the team."
God forbid the teams be required to help pay for the cost of stadiums and then provide some sort of guarantee when they abandon the city.
At least three of his proposals protect municipalities from being screwed by the NFL. Two of them are about the individual teams ability to negotiate on their own behalf (free market and all that).
Funny how the only one you like is the one denying someone the right to offer himself up for a job. Since it doesn't appear that you favor a free market, which side are you arguing from.?